Big Steakhouse Energy, Wine List Plays It Safe
Palm Beach Gardens · West Palm Beach · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Capital Grille – Palm Beach Gardens’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The Capital Grille wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a polished national steakhouse chain: heavy on Napa Cabs, light on adventure, and priced to reflect the white tablecloth surroundings. It's not trying to surprise you, and it succeeds at not doing that. What it does deliver is a clean, competent by-the-glass program with enough range to keep most tables happy.
The list is essentially a greatest hits of American wine with a few European cameos. Napa Cabernet dominates the red side — Charles Smith Substance, Route Stock, Fisher Unity, and Orin Swift Palermo all make appearances — which is appropriate for a steakhouse but leaves little room for anything adventurous. White wines are similarly safe: two Pinot Grigios (including the ever-present Santa Margherita), a Patz & Hall Chard, and a Prüm Riesling that's the most interesting thing on the list. Old World representation is thin, and there's nothing here from Burgundy, the Rhône, or Italy's red heartland. It's a list built for the expense account crowd, not the curious drinker.
All 23 wines on the list are available by the glass, which is genuinely useful and somewhat unusual for a steakhouse of this caliber. The glass range runs from $10 (Riondo Prosecco, Casa Lunardi Pinot Grigio) up to $30 (Moët Rosé Impérial, Orin Swift Palermo), with most options landing in the $12–$19 sweet spot. Rotation appears static rather than seasonal — don't expect surprises month to month.
Charles Smith Substance, Columbia Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 — $13/glass
Substance consistently punches well above its weight — it's a seriously structured Columbia Valley Cab from one of Washington's most reliable producers, and $13 a glass is about as honest as this list gets. Order it before you default to the Napa options.
Prüm Essence, Mosel, Germany, Riesling 2018
At $11 a glass, this is the lone Old World outlier on an otherwise Stars-and-Stripes list. Prüm is a legendary Mosel producer, and an off-dry Riesling cuts right through a rich steakhouse meal better than most of the Chardonnays here. Most tables will walk right past it.
Orin Swift Palermo, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Palermo is a perfectly fine Napa Cab, but $30 a glass is a hard sell when a bottle retails around $40. The markup math here is brutal — you're essentially buying the bottle in two pours. The Charles Smith Substance at $13 is a better story.
Fisher Unity, Napa Valley / Sonoma, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 + Dry-Aged NY Strip
Fisher Unity is a blended Cab with enough Sonoma structure to handle the funk of dry-aged beef without going overboard on the oak. It's the most balanced Cab on the list and the right call for the marquee steak.
The Bottom Line
The Capital Grille Palm Beach Gardens is a reliable wine stop if you're already there for the steak — just don't expect the list to excite you. Lean toward the glass pours, chase the value picks, and avoid the temptation to drop $30 on that Orin Swift.
Worth Avenue · West Palm Beach · French / Bistro
Le Bilboquet Palm Beach is a safe, French-focused list that suits its dressed-up crowd without pushing anyone toward something new or surprising. Send a friend here for the vibe and the steak frites — just go in knowing the wine spend will feel steeper than it probably should.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Wine Bar / Tasting Room
If you want to spend an afternoon actually understanding Willamette Valley wine across a single focused producer, there's no better setup in West Palm Beach. Just don't show up expecting a world tour — this room has a point of view and it's Oregon, all the way down.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Italian
Cafe Sapori's wine list is a reliable Italian-leaning companion — not adventurous, not cheap, but curated enough that the right picks reward you. Skip the Whispering Angel, dig into the Tuscans, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · New American
Kitchen West Palm has no business having the Casanova di Neri Brunello and the Ménard-Geborit Muscadet on the same 13-bottle list — and yet here we are. It's small, priced fairly, and clearly curated by someone who actually drinks wine. Send a friend, order the Ridge.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Wine Bar / Lounge
Le Bar is a stripped-down concept that works because the six bottles it chose are actually worth drinking — unusual for a lounge where wine is often an afterthought. If you want depth, go elsewhere. If you want a smart glass of something Italian while you decompress, this earns its keep.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Steakhouse
Morton's is not a destination for wine — it's a destination for beef, and the list reflects exactly that level of effort. If you're here, pick the Merry Edwards, enjoy your steak, and don't expect the wine to be the story of the evening.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
Morton's Honolulu gives you a competent, Cabernet-saturated list that will reliably satisfy the guest who came for a big steak and a big red — just don't expect any surprises, and watch the markup on the entry-level bottles. Send a friend here if they want comfort, not if they want discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Boca Raton · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Boca Raton isn't a destination wine list, but it's a functional and fairly priced one that does its job without embarrassing the restaurant. If you're here for the steak, the wine program won't let you down — just know what you're walking into.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Billings · Steakhouse
Jake's is doing exactly what a Billings steakhouse is supposed to do with wine — safe choices, name brands, and a Champagne section that lets people feel fancy. If you want adventure, you're in the wrong place; if you want a reliable glass of something Californian to go with your ribeye, you'll leave satisfied.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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